Article Bot

Article Bot
by velocd


Article Bot is a script that allows you to assign a user account (preferably an exclusive one) to an article bot that will post RSS feeds in select forums at designated intervals. These articles are derived from RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds.

RSS files are assigned to article bots, as well to individual forums, which in turn directs what, when and where your article bot will post.

Features

• Works with RSS versions: 0.9x, 2.0, 1.0, and Atom 0.3
• AdminCP interface for adding/modifying/deleting article bots & rss feeds
• Designate intervals (in minutes) to each RSS feed for when your article bot will post them.
• Requires only 1 file edit (admincp/index.php), allowing ease of upgrading your vBulletin
  without having to remodify files.
• Easy to install. Works best in conjunction with crontab (contab help is inside install.html)

News

• 7/25/04 - Version 1.1 Released
  • Bug Fixes
    • Replaced htmlspecialchars() with htmlentities() in articlebot.php to fully convert special entities from descriptions.
    • Added trim() to thread titles, to prevent double threads from being posted that are merely off by whitespace.
    • New table articlebot_rss_cache for storing a copy of article bot threads, for quicker checking of doubles when posting new threads.
    • Threads are checked in articlebot_rss_cache, so you can permanently remove them from the thread table (you don't have to "soft delete") without worrying about the bot replicating them.
    • Other minor bugs.
  • Features
    • New installer/upgraders for doing the SQL part automatically.
    • Added "label" field to add/modify RSS interface, that allows you to tag a label, e.g. [yahoo], to the beginning of threads, unique to each RSS feed. This might help for better distinction of RSS feeds.
    • Added an option to toggle on/off of building similar threads per RSS feed. Some RSS feeds could hault the script if the building of similar thread results for that feed takes too long (maybe the article thread title is too vague, and matches a lot of results--my guess is it's only a problem on large forums).
    • Added an option to toggle on/off skipping of articles that don't contain descriptions.
    • Regular expression search and replace for article titles and descriptions. This grants you much flexability to filter out things you don't want in your titles or descriptions (given you have some regex experience, I will try to post some patterns in due time.. feel free to add yours )
• 7/11/04 - Version 1.0 Released

Upgrading

• To upgrade, reupload the new PHP and MagpieRSS parser files to their places on your server. Upload upgrade_vx-x (replace the x's with the version you are upgrading to) to /path/to/forums/admincp/, and then execute that script.

Files

• 3 screenshots attached
• articlebot_v1.zip
  • install.html, logo.gif
  • articlebot_admin.php
  • articlebot/
    • rss_cache.inc
    • rss_fetch.inc
    • rss_parse.inc
    • rss_utils.inc
    • extlib/
      • Snoopy.class.inc

RSS Feeds

There are several in the install.html, but if you're looking for more than you could ever want, check out NewsIsFree's directory:

http://www.newsisfree.com/sources/bycat/


Remember to click install if you use this hack.

Also be sure to read through the what you haven't of the thread before asking a question, for it may have been answered.

[Marco van Herwaarden]

And what you have on line 161 (post a few lines before and after)?

[zachlee]

As I check my morning email, I am getting the error on line 145 as well.

attached screenshot of articlebot.php that was uploaded.

[bfd21]

I am trying to install a user as a bot I get the following error

Error: There is no user with ID of 0.

What is this?

I search but found no answer.

Thanks

[venomx]

You need to creat a user then enter its ID# when making it a bot...

[bfd21]

Originally Posted by venomx

You need to creat a user then enter its ID# when making it a bot...

thanks for the info.

If i can trouble you with one more question?

it seems that I screwed up creating the articlebot template.

can someone explain how to do this?


the threads are showing up, but not content.


thanks

[popowich]

Originally Posted by bfd21

it seems that I screwed up creating the articlebot template.
can someone explain how to do this?

AdminCP -> Styles & Templates -> Style Manager

Select "Add new Template" from the dropdown menu in the right frame and follow the template directions from the articlebot readme. The dropdown is the one with "All Style Options" as the first choice.

-Raymond

[dsboyce8624]

Would one of you please point me to where on your systems these posts are going so I can have a look?

Thanks,

Dennis

[simple_john]

Is there a way that i can flag or change the RSS articles to NOT show up on 'new posts' or active topics??

[TTG]

Originally Posted by popowich

AdminCP -> Styles & Templates -> Style Manager

Select "Add new Template" from the dropdown menu in the right frame and follow the template directions from the articlebot readme. The dropdown is the one with "All Style Options" as the first choice.

-Raymond

your looking in the right place ..

Add the new template and all should now work.

[thuffner]

Originally Posted by simple_john

Is there a way that i can flag or change the RSS articles to NOT show up on 'new posts' or active topics??

I'd like to know this as well...

EDIT: Also, to make sure the bot's threads and posts dont count towards the forum and the member list.